Southend has a soft, sweet side that is difficult to resist

While still a magnet for boy racers and troupes of noisy ladies, dusty old Southend is experiencing a quiet renaissance.

You can enjoy a day at Southend’s beach, if you can get to grips with the comedy props that is

As a genuine, card- carrying Tracey from Essex, I’m heading back to the mothership for a retro weekend of… well, I’m not sure.

Like many nouveau Londoners in search of a seaside fix, I’ve generally eschewed Southend-on-Sea’s ‘kiss me quick’ advances for the tamer delights of Brighton and Whitstable.

Located 40miles (65km) east of London, Southend is enjoying a long-awaited resurgence after a recent announcement that it is now home to the capital’s sixth international airport, with 70 easyJet flights a week to destinations such as Ibiza, Barcelona and Faro.

There’s also a new fast-track rail service from Liverpool Street to London Southend Airport, with direct links to Stratford for the Olympics: it seems this jaded Georgian resort will be big news this summer.

While still a magnet for boy racers and troupes of noisy ladies, dusty old Southend is experiencing a quiet renaissance. So quiet, not even the locals know about it.

I’m staying at the Roslin Beach Hotel, in Thorpe Bay, which is bustling with out-of-towners here for a weekend by the sea. I’m pleasantly surprised by the smart, seaside-chic decor and a promising menu offering a local ‘catch of the day’.

A sun-soaked terrace offers far-reaching views over the Thames Estuary towards the puffing chimneys of industrial Kent. It might not be the prettiest sea view, but a sea view it is, nonetheless.

A ten-minute walk away is the Golden Mile. Named after the legions of gaudy amusement arcades, it exudes the air of a tired old drag queen. But the beautiful balconied Victorian terraces that line the prom tell tales of a different era.

Although Southend is still popular with the knotted-hanky brigade, it’s starting to attract a younger and more vibrant crowd with its clutch of fancy new boutique B&Bs and a burgeoning food scene in neighbouring Leigh-on-Sea, which sits just past the grand art deco houses in Westcliff.

Leigh is a charming enclave full of independent shops and quirky eateries, such as old-fashioned cake shop Fancy Nancy and the Went To Market deli, which has great coffee and a big selection of equally posh hams, among other fine produce.

Towards Old Leigh, between the station and the sea, sits Cockle Row, a line of quirky clapboard sheds that flog ‘the finest cockles in Europe’.

Wondering what all the fuss is about, I grab a tub of these slimy suckers, taste my first (and last) and try not to vomit. These sweet, vinegary molluscs are to Londoners what black pudding is to Yorkshiremen – an acquired taste and popular with the elderly.

On my stroll back towards Southend Pier (and to get rid of the taste of cockles) I step back into my past with a visit to Rossi’s ice cream parlour for a Knickerbocker Glory.

Rossi’s is an institution whose blue-and-white-striped facade has remained unchanged for decades. As I dip my spoon into this exaggerated sundae, I decide it sums up Southend perfectly. Ostentatious and kitsch but with a soft, sweet side that’s difficult to resist.